Skeleton-lined shoe, with attaching strip for its upper



Dec. 10, 1957 R. N. SEARS 2,815,589

SKELETON-LINED SHOE, WITH ATTACHING STRIP FOR ITS UPPER Filed Jan. 20, 1955 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent F SKELETON-LINED SHOE, WITH A'ITACHIN G STRIP FOR ITS UPPER Richard N. Sears, Woodstock, Conm, assignor to Bates Shoe Company, Webster, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 482,994 2 Claims. or. 36-14) The present invention relates to the art of shoemaking and, in particular, to a novel type of shoe construction, as will hereinafter appear. The shoe construction of the present invention not only permits a simple and economical method of manufacture, but also provides, from the standpoint of the wearer, a superior type of shoe construction.

The instant invention has particular utility in the construction of shoes which have soles and other parts made of rubber or the like material, especially cellular crepe rubber.

While cellular crepe rubber has heretofore been used in shoemaking by reason of its possessing certain desirable properties, its incorporation into shoes has presented various complications and difficulties, especially in the number of shoe parts required, and in the number of operations needed for their connecton. The present invention, by reducing to a minimum the number of shoe parts, overcomes these ditficulties, and in addition obtains advantages in the manufacturing procedure.

Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved shoe construction largely of cellular crepe rubber, as referred to above.

Other and further objects and advantageous features of the present invention will hereinafter more fully appear in connection with a detailed description of drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an exterior view in side elevation of the shoe, whose interior construction isthe subject of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of said shoe with a portion of the outsole broken away, to reveal certain features of interior construction.

Fig. 3 is a larger scale vertical sectional view, substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing one form of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a larger scale fragmentary sectional view with certain parts broken away, the section being taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a slightly difierent form of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a larger scale fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4, the section being taken along the section line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the shoe construction in both forms of my invention provides a suitable upper 1 and an insole 2 both composed of leather, or other suitable material, it being noted that the upper 1 terminates above the insole 2, as shown in Fig. 3 and also Fig. 5. In both forms of the invention, an outsole 4 is spaced below the insole 2, the intervening space in each instance receiving a filler 9 of appropriate thickness. The outsole 4 and filler 9 in each case, are preferably made of cellular rubber crepe.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, cellular rubber crepe may be considered as a gum or rubber-like material which is flexible but tough, springy, wear resistant and non-tacky under ordinary conditions of use.

2,815,589 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 ice Furthermore, cellular rubber crepe by reason of its natural permeability possesses the property of readily receiving and bonding with a suitable liquid adhesive, so that separate pieces thereof may be joined after application of the adhesive, by merely pressing the pieces together. This adhesive receptive property of cellular rubber crepe makes it readily and very strongly adherent, not only to other adhesive receptive materials such as fabric or webbing, but also to fabric or webbing which has been impregnated with rubber, as will hereinafter appear.

In the form of my invention shown by Figs. 3 and 4, the upper 1 is connected to the insole 2 by a shoe-encircling attaching strip 3a of relatively heavy fabric or webbing, said strip being bent to an approximately L- shaped cross-section so that its upper edge abuts the lower edge of the upper 1, while its lower portion extends for an appreciable distance beneath the insole 2. Said strip 3a, before its, incorporation ,in the shoe, is preferably impregnated, as hereinafter described, with rubber. In this form of my invention, an additional slightly wider fabric strip 3b is cemented to the inner surface of attaching strip; this somewhat thinner fabric strip 3b, which provides in effect a skeleton lining, extends above and beyond the junction of attaching strip 3a and the upper 1.

The attaching strip 3a is connected to the upper 1 by stitching 5, which, as best shown in Fig. 4, extends in a zigzag manner between the abutted edge portions of the strip 3a and upper 1 respectively. The junction between the attaching strip 3a and upper 1 is strengthened by an external reinforcing strip 6, preferably composed of leather, which strip 6 is secured along its edges to the upper 1 and attaching strip 3a by conventional stitching 7 and 7.

The external strip 6, besides strengthening the joint between the upper 1 and attaching strip 3a, so as to relieve the zigzag stitching 5 of strain, also adds to the appearance of the shoe, as will be evident from a consideration of Fig. 1. Furthermore, the projection of the strip 6 below the upper 1 enables the junction between the attaching strip 3a and the outsole 4 to be covered with a finish strip 8, as will be later described.

The upper edge of lining strip 3b is stitched to the upper 1 by means of conventional stitching 14 (Fig. 4) so as to reinforce the zigzag stitching 5 which joins the abutting edges of upper 1 and attaching strip 3a. The lower portion of the composite attaching and lining strip 3a, 3b is turned in under the edge of the insole 2 and secured to the under surface thereof by a layer of suitable adhesive, as indicated by the lines 10, 10 in Fig. 3. The insole 2 also has attached thereto by another layer of adhesive (see line 11, Fig. 3), the filler 9 of cellular rubber crepe, which occupies the space below the insole within the area defined by the turned-in portion of said composite strip 3a, 3b.

The outsole 4 is composed of cellular rubber crepe also and is attached to the shoe by applying to the exposed under surfaces of the attaching strip 3a and filler 9 another layer of adhesive (see line 12, Fig. 3), and then pressing the parts together.

The shoe is completed by attaching the finish strip 8 to the outer edge of the outsole 4 and to the exposed portion of the attaching strip 3a below the reinforcing strip 6. The finish strip 8 is also composed of cellular rubber crepe, and this strip is joined to the attaching strip 3a and the outsole 4 by applying to the parts another layer of adhesive (see lines 13, 13, Fig. 3), in advance of pressing the parts together. It is to be noted that when the finish strip 8 is thus incorporated in the complete shoe, the upper edge of the strip 8 fits snugly under the lower edge of the reinforcing strip 6.

3 The attaching strip 3a "consists of a piece of cotton webbing which has received a'first saturation of a natural crude rubber and a second saturation of a synthetic rubmated with uncured rubber, bothfn'atnial andsynthctic. Now, when the skeleton" lining 3b is cemented to the stri 351 certairijcuring-agerits in the c etn'entjvill cure the its: bejr's contained in the attaching strip. curing agefit's, which are of adithiocarharha'te nature, war not only cure the rt'ibb'ers' so as to prednce a tough, fiexihle and resilient attaching strip" as desired, but also eif tit afi'vef'y' good bond Between the attaching strip and theslt'ele'toii nni g.

An attaching strip of fabric or webbing, suchastlie strip 51: 6f Figs. '3 and 4, by ofits internal fibrous nature, war not stretch appreciably while the hoe parts are being assembled; this means that the size of'the shoe itself will not chan e (shrink; aster it has been removed from the last.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a shoefconstru'ction which is practically identical with that of Figs. 3 and 4, except that here the inner or lining strip 3c, whichdverlaps upper 1, is' rubber-impregnated, in the sarne'fashion as the attachin'g strip 3a of Figs. 3 and 4. This 'rlibher-impregnati'o'n of the inner or lining strip 30 enables it to be cemented firm-1y, as above described, to the attaching strip 3d, which, in this case, need not be rubber-impregnated. Furthermore, this rubber-impregnation of the inner or lining strip 30 enables it to be cemented rho're firmly, at 10, to the leather insole 2, and also to the leather upper 1, where said strip 3c overlaps the lower edgeof said upper. The lines of stitching 5, 7, 7 and 14 for Figs. 5 and 6 are the same as for the preceding figures, and "the outsole 4 and finishing strip 8 are ceriiented in place exactly as described above for Figs. 3' a'n'd4.

I claiin:

1. In a shoe construction, a leather upper, a'l'ea'the'r in'so1e,'a first strip of rubber-impregnated fabric extending around said shoe for uniting said leather parts, said first strip at its upper edge inwardly lapping the lower edge of said upper and stitched thereto, and atits lower portion bent inwardly beneath that insole, said lower portion adhesively connected to the under surface of said insole, a second strip of fabric adhesively connected to the outer surface of said first strip, the upper edge of said second strip abutting the lower edge of said upper and stitched thereto, the lower ,part' of said second strip extending beneath said inwardly bent portion of said first strip and terminating at the inner edge of said first strip, a-filler adhesively connected to the under surface of saidinsole within the area defined by the inner edges of said first and second strips, said filler equal in thickness to the combined thickness of said two'strips, a platform outsole of cellular rubber crepe adhesively-connecte'd to the bottom surfaces of said filler and said second strip, and a finishingstrip encircling 'said shoe and adhesively connected to the side edge of said outsole, the upper portion 'of said nected to 4 finishing strip adhesively connected "to-said second strip above the latters inwardly bent part.

2. In a shoe construction, a leather upper, a leather insole, the lower edge of said upper spaced above said insole, a fabric lining strip .egrtending about said shoe and uniting said leather parts,"sai'd lining strip at its upper edge inwardly-lapping the lower edge of said upper and stitched thereto, and zlewer'portion bent inwardly beneath said insole, said lowerportion adhesively connected to "th'e'understiffac ofsaiditisdle, a fabric attaching' strip extending ahtiiit' said s'lideand adh'siv'ely' eonnected to the outer surface of said lining strip, at least one of said twti' fahl 'rd'strifis r'ubb'e'r irnp'ireg riated,- to increase the strength of said adhesiye connection, the upper edge of said attachfiig'sfrip'a'hiitting" the lower edge of said upper and stitched thereto, and the lower part of said attaching. strip 4 extending beneath said .inwardly bent portion of the anlrng stnp and; t rminating 'at the inner edge mer er, fitt r adhesives-;censectee to t e under surface of said rn seie within the area defined by the i'nnr fedg'es' offsaidftwq fahric strips, said filler equal in thickness terns-confined thickness o the two strips, a

platfdrni' entailest" ceini'lar' runner crepe'sdhesively con nected to the bottom surfaces 0t said filler arid said attaching" strip, and at firiish'i' g srrrpenci'rering said slide andadhesively' eenneet a side edges: said ot'rtsolc, the np er-perrion'etsata finishing strip 'adhesively consaid attaching strip above the latters inwardly iGolden --:s.' Sept. 1,632,942, zBierc'e 1: Apr. '7, 1925 1-;8535034 Bfadl y,-'g Apr.-19, 1932 1,937,074 Vincent 28, 1933 2,024,067 ;K:'cnt-. 17, 1935 2,021,557 -chultz 1 Jan .14, 1936 2,050,751 Enos :Aug 11, :1936 2,100,492- Sindler-a NOV. 30, 1937 2.;473 '5 @rlalldo: June 21, 1949 2,481,389 1949 2,552,601 '1951 2,574,582 e t .1951 2,580,245 Rollmh'n'etdl. ;;1; D66 25,- 1951 "FGRElG N PATENTS I 4,360 Great Britain of 1901 751 .8- F n N '92 77,500 Sweden July 20, 1931 581,202 Germany July 22, 19 33 180,043 Switzerland Mar. 7, 1935 $232,697 France .1 -1 Sept. 27, 1937 5 42 346 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1942 133,078 Australia June 7, 1949 1,080,905

France June 2,1954 

